On Pi Day, a fellow blogger shared Vi Hart's "Pi Is (still) Wrong" video. It had been a while since I'd swung by Ms. Hart's blog, so I did so last night. I was pleased to discover her story about Wind and Mr. Ug. I think it would be great to gather the childrens 'round and watch it. Sure, it's 7:15 long... but well worth it.

In just over 7 minutes, Ms. Hart gives a fantastic example of story-based math education. What's more, you get to experience the thrill of "getting it" as the story unfolds. So many of my high school math classes involved the painful process of me trying to catch up with the idea. "What are the factors of 2x² - 5x + 9? To solve this, first you need to..."

Umm... how's that again?

As Wind goes about her day, I began to smile. I knew what was coming. And that made me feel smart! Math made sense. What's more, there's a reason to figure the problem out. As Dr. Sax points out in Why Gender Matters: Boys are sometimes happy to just tackle the numbers, but girls get far more excited about math when they see examples of it in nature. We tend to enjoy learning more if we see there's a connection between life and the subject at hand. So what is math?

Without looking up a formal definition, how about: Mathematics is the study of how values, matter and energy fit together, often notated by abstract symbols. That's why topics like color, money, shapes, speed, cooking and music are so easily mixed in with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

This is also why math can become so unbelievably understandable when we use real life to demonstrate a concept. ...as we do in MathTacular.

When we are able to pull math out of the world of equations and numbers and reconnect it with values and matter and energy, math makes sense. What's more, the numbers and equations become a means of playing with what we've learned. And that is cool.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Maybe you're not all that excited. But there are couple people out in cyberspace who are pretty pumped about this year's Catalog.

I'm one of them.

Of course, my excitement is a little dampened by the fact that April 4 is fast approaching. Not fast enough for some. But for those of us scrambling to get everything on the website done in time, it's coming on like a jet-propelled steam engine. Why a steam engine would need jet-propulsion isn't really the issue here. The fact is: Time is flying by.

If you're dying to get your hands on the latest and greatest from Sonlight, I can't do too much to help. But, I do have one suggestion that may help the time go faster:

Help a new homeschool mom discover the joy of Sonlight.

It's no secret that Sonlight has always relied on you talking to others about the curriculum you love. That's why we created the Sonlight Rewards Program. We're not trying to incentivize sharing. We wanted to say thank you for doing so. So, as you share the your love of learning with a new Sonlighter, don't forget to give them the benefit of your Rewards ID. And, since this is all about sharing the love, I think your friend would be thrilled to help you via the Rewards Program too.

As you look to purchase your next Sonlight homeschool program, will you be using your Rewards Points? How has the Rewards Program been for you?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Someone left their monitor on all night. I went over to turn it off. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the power button. I fumbled with the thing for 45 seconds. It felt like 20 minutes.

Exploring every edge of the screen reminded me of a computer that had a hidden power button. There was a giant button-looking logo on the front... but that was just for show. The actual power switch was this tiny thing buried behind some cables on the back. I always fumbled with that machine too.

Still continuing my frustrated search, I realized that my own computer has a hidden power switch. But because I use it all the time, I don't even notice that it's camouflaged into the side of my chassis.

And then I realized this applied to homeschooling.

Like I said: It felt like 20 minutes.

Everything we do has a learning curve. But eventually our daily tasks become second nature. Such as reading a book. Consider the toddlers in your life. They don't read books. They look at them (upside down). They chew on them. They walk over them, oblivious to the worlds contained within.

Eventually, however, books begin to make sense. And you no longer need to call support:

KimC

As you think back on your homeschool adventures, what things have become second nature that totally baffled you at the start? Couldn't figure out Sonlight's Instructor's Guides? Bogged down by your students' learning styles? Something else?

I'd love to hear your stories.

And if something about homeschooling still isn't second nature and you feel like you're fumbling in the dark, please feel free to chat with an Advisor.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

I buy bulk.

Toilet paper? 900 rolls. Cheese? 30 pound blocks. I used to get my mustard by the barrel. But my wife told me that it wasn't worth the frustration refilling the human-sized bottles and the requisite third fridge. I still buy the jumbo-huge-extra-value-family-sized jar of pickles though. It's the little victories...

Why buy such huge quantities?

Because mustard is half the price per unit if you get sixty gallons of it instead of a single 20oz bottle. That's why.

The question then is: Why doesn't "buying bulk" work when it comes to human care?

Jessica mentioned yesterday that the cost of child care is such that she can't afford to work. And I get depressed every time I think about the real cost of public schools. What's going on here?

Buying bulk works the same way getting married helps your budget. When you're single, you and your future spouse are paying for two residences, two beds, two internet connections and you're preparing two meals, doing two loads of laundry and generally duplicating everything. Getting married slashes the cost of one of you to a third. That's big savings. Have a friend move in with you? The savings get even bigger!

So, by the same logic, if you can get one teacher to watch 30 kids, we're saving a ton of money.

But we're not.

Public middle schools cost as much as my private University tuition (which included my room and board). And the reason my private University tuition was so astronomically high was because it wasn't super large (no bulk discount) and had no Federal funding. Of course, Federal funding isn't helping classrooms anyway.

One reason we're not getting a "bulk discount" from public schools is that there isn't really anything "bulk" going on. There isn't one teacher per 30 students. There are guidance counselors, nurses, assistant principals, principals, a board of education, and so on. There are buses and playgrounds, classrooms and cafeterias, soccer fields and stadiums. And, similar to you and your spouse prior to marriage, the families of these students still have houses and kitchens, parks and playgrounds, cars and bedrooms, doctors and pastors. In many ways, we're duplicating everything (and more).

This post is not about how public schools are bad. This post is about how (and an exploration of the why) public schools are so expensive. Given what the government spends on other kids, you could buy a Sonlight Core for each of your four students and make almost six figures using them.

So the question to ponder now is: How do we get people to start homeschooling in bulk?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Certainly. Videos can transmit ideas and lessons to us. There are many children who utilize video-based curricula. I'm confident most turn out just fine. And I often link to TED Talks. Even so...

• I didn't think Dilbert was funny. Until I worked in an office, that is. Now I totally relate to Dilbert.
• Next, think back to Calculus while watching I Will Derive!
• And, finally, fire up Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration.

What do Dilbert, Calculus and Historical-themed-musical-spoofs have in common?

They are funny because we're already "in the know." Reading Dilbert does not prepare you for office politics. I'm pretty sure I couldn't find the velocity given a position, even after watching the video a few more times. And the references to what goaded the American Revolution are too subtle and quick in the song to really understand that conflict.

So what are such videos good for?

They connect to the stuff we already know. Often, such videos whet our appetite or pique our interest. These videos don't teach us as much as they remind and inspire us. On the other side of things, the failure of videos to teach babies language reminded me of the Baby Einstein lawsuit. Videos don't teach babies.

Why?

I wonder if it is because babies are still learning stuff. And to learn stuff--at least language--it appears that human interaction is required.

All this makes me glad that the educational videos I've produced are designed to supplement and reinforce your knowledge, not teach you outright.

So can videos teach us? I guess so. But I'm becoming more convinced video's true value rests in giving us one more "hook" to connect our knowledge to.

Of course, Draw Today is fantastic based on everything I've heard. And I do distinctly remember how to draw a candle after I saw a demonstration on TV. So... I'm not sure how this all breaks down, but it's fascinating.

Candle (or Dynamite)

Have you successfully utilized a video course? How did you like it? What do you remember learning from a video?

~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Obsequious: fawning; cringing submissiveness

Brought to you by John Holzmann